A Mission couple has been sentenced to two decades in prison for leading a criminal organization that transported nearly 2,500 people into the country illegally in one of the largest conspiracies recently seen in South Texas.
Luis Enrique Moctezuma-Acosta, 37, and Scarlett Fuentes-Gavarrette, 34, pleaded guilty in March to conspiracy to transport people in the country illegally and to laundering over $2 million.
Chief U.S. District Judge Randy Crane sentenced the pair in McAllen federal court on Tuesday, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas announced in a press release.
Federal prosecutors said the couple used a sophisticated network of smugglers across the United States that used commercial airplanes, tractor-trailers and various other smuggling methods.
The investigation into the LEMA smuggling organization began in November 2019, the release stated.
The organization is responsible for smuggling 2,459 people into northern parts of the United States from the Southwest border region.
“The network spanned from Honduras to as far north as Boston, Massachusetts, with a heavy emphasis on smuggling Brazilian nationals,” the release stated.
On March 9, 2023, federal authorities raided Fuentes-Gavarrette and Moctezuma-Acosta’s properties and seized $1.5 million in cash.
“The locations included their residence and a purported car dealership they operated as a front business,” the release stated.
In all, authorities seized approximately $2.69 million in assets, several luxury vehicles, including a 2023 Escalade and 2021 Ford Shelby Truck, jewelry and real estate properties.
During the hearing, Crane, the judge, heard recordings of people being held against their will and begging for their families to pay smugglers for their release, according to the release.
“The court also considered the lavish lifestyle the co-conspirators led, all while exploiting individuals who were seeking a better life,” the release stated. “The organization had referred to them as ‘products’ and abandoned some in the harsh conditions of the brush without food or water, resulting in the death of one.”
Further evidence showed the LEMA smuggling organization boasted about using its trucking business as a front, which was used to smuggle people and to launder $2.9 million.
Alamdar S. Hamdani, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Texas, said the sentencing sends a clear and powerful message to all criminal organizations involved in human smuggling and money laundering.
“From the rural areas of Central America to the bustling streets of Boston, Massachusetts, no criminal organization is beyond the relentless reach of the Department of Justice,” Hamdani said in a statement. “The lengthy sentences handed down today are a testament to our unwavering determination to dismantle these ruthless networks and bring their leaders to justice.”
Hamdani said the sentence should serve as a stark warning to those who exploit vulnerable people for profit that they will face the full force of the law.
“We will not rest until every corner of these criminal enterprises is exposed and dismantled, ensuring the safety and dignity of our communities,” Hamdani said.
Aaron Tapp, special agent in charge of the FBI’s San Antonio Field Office, said the case started as a money laundering investigation at a business.
“FBI agents did a phenomenal job following the evidence to uncover a much larger conspiracy involving human smuggling,” Tapp said in a statement. “I want to thank our partners at the Border Patrol, Homeland Security Investigations, the Texas Department of Insurance and the McAllen Police Department for their assistance with this case and their continued partnership in keeping our south Texas communities safe.”
Moctezuma-Acosta and Fuentes-Gavarrette, who are citizens of Mexico, are expected to be deported after serving their sentences.
